Teacher leaders assume a wide range of roles to support school and student success. Harrison and Killion describe 10 roles that teacher leaders can fulfill in their schools. As resource providers, they provide materials to help their colleagues. Instructional specialists help colleagues with instructional strategies, and curriculum specialists…

This article investigates young children's understanding of and relationships to their communities and the natural world. Inspired by the pedagogy of Reggio Emilia (Edwards, Gandini, & Forman, 1998) and guided by the concept of documentation as a cycle of inquiry (Gandini & Goldhaber, 2001), a group of early childhood educators from across…

Environmental scientists warn that the health of the planet is rapidly deteriorating, and the primary cause of the crisis is human behavior. Psychology can contribute greatly to understanding and changing behaviors that negatively impact global ecosystems; however, environmental issues are not generally included in psychology curricula, and…

As we engage our students in social studies topics--whether at the college level or the secondary level--we are charged with promoting habits of mind and thought that produce our country's citizens. If we are doing our jobs, we are insistent about finding ways to connect the democracy in our classrooms with the democracy in our culture, and thus…

This study examined social structures that complicate teacher professional development within the context of university and school partnerships in a Western state. Semi-structured interview with participants was the primary data source for conducting an activity systems analysis comparing teacher professional development activities with school…

A Nation at Risk, Goals 2000, and No Child Left Behind are examples of external factors that compel educational leaders at local schools and districts to explore reform initiatives in order to meet federally required results. Because of political mandates to improve student learning and instruction, educational leaders are searching for…

Although teachers may work in the same building for years, they usually have slight knowledge about what goes on in each other's classrooms. In a similar way, there is little knowledge at one school level about what happens at other levels. This book presents a way for teachers to make maps as a way to communicate about curriculum development.…

This paper presents an overview of several studies on teacher collaboration, then describes the process of developing recommendations for school leaders interested in encouraging collaboration. The five studies focused on: (1) collaboration and student learning outcomes; (2) the effect of selected factors on collaboration; (3) collaboration from…

This study investigated Turkish teachers' levels of commitment to their schools, the tasks involved in teaching, work groups, and the occupation. A 28-item scale was administered to 302 teachers working in public high schools in the districts of Zonguldak and in the city center. The questionnaire asked about their commitment to the school;…

This case study highlights how one rural elementary school, where teachers had expressed interest in changing how things were done, provided opportunities for teachers to transform traditional teaching practices into innovative ones. This involved implementing an accelerated schools philosophy (using gifted and talented strategies for all…

This paper describes the development of a framework to better understand how teachers think about and approach instructional practices. Over 1 year, researchers worked with teacher groups in 5 schools, exploring their perspectives, experiences, and understanding about teaching through observations, interviews, journals, and dialogues. The…

This study documented variations in program designs and implementation strategies, linking them to beginning teachers' professional growth, particularly reflective practices. Data were collected in six sites during 1999-00 as part of an evaluation of the implementation of the California Formative Assessment and Support System for Teachers, which…

Collective teacher efficacy refers to teacher perceptions that they constitute an effective instructional team, capable of bringing about learning in students. Previous research demonstrates that a school staff with a strong sense of collective efficacy is likely to generate high student achievement. This study of 2,170 teachers in 141 elementary…

To model collaboration and to "practice what we teach," a group of faculty members at McNeese State University in Louisiana developed a college-wide theme based on the book, "Sadako and the Thousand Paper Cranes." This book was selected because of the importance of seeking and achieving peace in a world that is struggling and,…

This study identified and described appropriate training activities to help educators develop the skills necessary to participate in a team setting. The qualitative research paradigm allowed researchers to collect data in the contextual setting. Researchers conducted interviews and reviewed documents related to team building activities, noting…